


Spilled Wine

by NotQuiteHuman



Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Crying, Gen, Light Angst, Merlin is not the only sorcerer in Camelot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-11
Updated: 2021-03-11
Packaged: 2021-03-18 18:22:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,033
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29986968
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NotQuiteHuman/pseuds/NotQuiteHuman
Summary: Elyan left Camelot for a reason, and while bringing him wine one night Merlin finds out what that reason was. A magic reveal, but not the one you're thinking of.
Relationships: Elyan & Merlin (Merlin)
Comments: 12
Kudos: 49





	Spilled Wine

**Author's Note:**

> This probably doesn't need to be rated T but better safe than sorry.

He left home young, before he was of age, because he possessed magic. He left his friends and family behind to study sorcery, and even though he didn’t really want to leave, he knew he had to, for his safety as well as his sanity. His mother had died not too long earlier and he had to get out. Magic was illegal and neither his father nor his sister knew of his skill, it was solely between him and his mother. And so Elyan left Camelot, left Gwen and his father behind, and went out into the world. He learned more magic and became a quite competent sorcerer. After returning home, for it truly was the place he felt most at home, he became a knight.

Of all the professions for a sorcerer to get roped into. A knight of Camelot. The gods sure had a strange sense of humour. But Elyan truly did enjoy knighthood, he was keeping the citizens of Camelot safe, and it didn’t hurt that he had a chance to show off his sword skills.

His days fell into a routine; wake up, breakfast, training, patrols on Wednesdays and Fridays, luncheon, council meetings he was now expected to both be present at and pay attention to, dinner, free time (unless the king had need of you), bed. And that's how it went, unless broken up by quests, or hunts, or fighting giant magical monsters (he really needed to figure out a way to give his friends protection charms without their knowledge).

He still found ways to practice his magic. As a knight, Elyan had a level of privacy that he never had before. He would sit on his bed and practice spells from his spellbook, occasionally stopping to make a note in the margin.

He had gotten used to the privacy when it happened. He had been practicing an animation spell on a little paper bird, attempting to make it fly around the room.

He took the folded paper in his hands re read the spell, and spoke, _“Carte Fleoh”_ and he pushed his magic into the paper bird and watched as his spell succeeded, and the paper bird took flight.

Elyan was watching the flying paper when his life was forever changed. He had forgotten that even though he was a knight, and was afforded the privacy that came with it, not everyone knocked.

There was a crash from his doorway. Merlin was standing there, mouth open, with a metal jug and what looked like wine on the floor by his feet.

“Merlin?” Elyan’s voice shook. “Do you- did-” he stopped and took a deep breath to calm himself and steady his voice. It didn't work. “How much did you see?” The answer seemed rather obvious as Merlin was just staring at him open mouthed. “Merlin?” He couldn’t keep the pleading tone out of his voice. Something in his voice seemed to shake Merlin out of his trance, and he stepped inside and over the spilled wine and closed the door.

“That was magic.” said Merlin breathlessly, “You just did magic.”

Something in Elyan crumbled at his words. Merlin was the King's servant, and incredibly loyal. There was no way Elyan was going to survive the week. Tears welled in his eyes, there was no way Merlin would accept a bribe and Elyan really didn’t want to hurt him, but he also really didn’t want to die. Merlin reached behind him and locked the door never taking his eyes off Elyan. Never mind execution, it seemed like Merlin was going to try to kill him himself, if the horror on his face was anything to go off of.

Merlin was unarmed however, and as a knight and a sorcerer, Elyan was able to defend himself. He moved slowly, eyes locked on Merlin, as he reached for the dagger on his bedside table. Merlin’s eyes widened and he stepped forwards and reached out, as if to stop him. Elyan swung the dagger out in front of him and pointed it at Merlin. The spellbook tumbled to the floor. His hands were shaking. “Don’t come any closer.” Merlin took another step. “I mean it, Merlin, I don’t want to hurt you.”

“Elyan, it’s ok,” Merlin said, taking a step back. “Just, put down the knife, please.”

Elyan slowly lifted his unoccupied hand. “Don’t move,” he paused, “please, Merlin.” he saw a flash of something in Merlin's eyes and he nodded.

“I won’t.” Elyan breathed a sigh of relief. Maybe he could convince Merlin not to murder him.

“Please Merlin,'' he started, and then paused trying to think of a reason that he should be spared that could appeal to Merlin. The boy notoriously had a bleeding heart and Elyan could use that to his advantage. “I don’t want to die.” The tears that fell from his eyes were very real and realizing how much he wanted to live made him cry harder. “Think of Gwen, think of how heartbroken she’d be if I was executed. I’m not even that powerful, I can barely do anything, well except for the flying paper thing you just saw, and it was actually an accident I don’t actually know magic-” Gods above, he was rambling, a trait he most definitely shared with his sister, and he couldn’t stop. “Really Merlin please don’t kill me, I mean, It's not like you could take me in a physical fight anyways and I really don’t want to hurt you, and please don’t tell the King, I know you’re loyal to him above all else, please don’t tell him.” Elyan heaved out a sob. He had lost all dignity he had ever had during that little begging session and Merlin was still staring at him with that look of total horror on his face. Fuck it. He took a deep breath, “How much do you want?”

“What?” Merlin asked, voice barely a whisper.

“Money. How much money to not go to Arthur with this?”

“You’re trying to bribe me?”

Elyan cracked a broken looking smile. “Is it working?” Merlin covered his mouth with his hand and his eyes filled with tears. He shook his head slightly and Elyan’s tears were back full force. He was going to die over a scrap of folded paper.

“Oh Elyan,” he said. And suddenly Merlin was crossing the room to get to him. Elyan scrambled back, despite his claim he could best Merlin in a fight easily, especially with his dagger still clutched in his hand. And then Merlin did something he didn’t expect. He reached out and hugged him. Tightly. Elyan stiffened in his grip but didn’t pull away. His grip on the dagger loosened. Merlin pulled away slightly and looked him in the eyes. “I would never rat you out.” The dagger fell from his fingers and he relaxed into the hug.

After Elyan’s weeping had mostly subsided, Merlin let go of him. He got up from where he had been crouching at Elyan’s bed side and gestured to the empty space on the bed by Elyan. “Mind if I sit?” He just shook his head and moved over wordlessly, still wiping at his eyes. Merlin nodded and sat down beside him.

“So,” he said. “Magic.”

“Yeah. Magic.” Elyan opened his mouth to speak, and then, not knowing what to say, closed it again. “I’m only here because of Gwen,” he eventually settled on saying. “I came home for her, and then Arthur knighted me and I had to stay. You can’t very well refuse a knighthood without reason.”

Merlin snorted. “Especially as one of the first commoners ever knighted in Camelot.”

Elyan laughed. “Exactly. And then I had to stay.” He turned to Merlin. “I’m not planning anything, you know,” he said, tone suddenly serious, “I just want to live in peace, I swear.”

Merlin nodded. “I know, and I just want you to know you have nothing to fear from me.”

“Thank you.” Elyan tilted his head back to blink away the tears that were threatening to make an unwelcome re-appearance, he had cried in front of Merlin enough that day. Probably enough for a lifetime. “You swear you won’t tell Arthur?”

“On my Mother’s life.”

“Merlin? Why are you so okay with this?” Merlin stiffened a little bit and looked at Elyan warily.

“Does it matter why? I am okay with it and that’s what matters. I won’t tell anyone.”

That was an incredibly suspicious answer. “But you’re very loyal to the King.”

“Yes,” Merlin said shortly, leaving no room for argument.

“I don’t understand. Why are you not running to tell him then?”

Merlin glared and Elyan couldn’t help but flinch, and Merlin looked slightly guilty. “Just because I’m loyal to Arthur doesn’t mean I think he’s right about everything. You know what I mean.”

Elyan looked at his lap. “Yeah,” he said, “I do.” He took a breath, “Magic is just so wonderful, and it's so fun, it calms me when I practice, even ironically, here.” He let out a small laugh, “I’m sorry, I’m sure you don’t want to hear a sorcerer talk about how great magic is,”

“No I do.” Merlin quickly interrupted, then blushed lightly and Elyan let himself be silently amused at how easily Merlin blushed because of how pale he was. Usually Elyan would tease him about that, but this was in no way a usual situation. “That is if you don’t mind”

Once again Merlin looked nervous, and almost, hopeful? Elyan shook his head to clear the thoughts, something else was going on here, and Elyan was beginning to get an idea as to what it was. “Merlin? Are you- do you - what I mean to say is, do you have magic?”

Merlin’s face lost almost all colour, and Elyan didn’t realize that it was possible for Merlin to get paler. “I- no- well you see-” Merlin slumped in defeat. “Yeah. I have magic.” He bit his lip and looked at Elyan. “You won’t tell?”

“Of course not.” Elyan smiled at Merlin and slid closer to him on the bed. “How long have you been practicing?”

Merlin stiffened at the contact but relaxed a moment later, “All my life” he said.

“I’ve been a sorcerer since I was young too, my mother taught me, and I learned more after I left Camelot.” Merlin nodded but said nothing. “Where did you learn?”

Merlin laughed, “Believe it or not, I didn’t.”

“What? I don’t understand”

“I’m a warlock, I was never taught.”

Elyan’s eyes widened. “You're a warlock? That’s- wow.” He looked at Merlin “How much do you know about magic? Since you were never taught and all.”

“I have a spellbook, and I know what I found out from,” he paused, “a friend.” Elyan got the feeling the friend he mentioned wasn’t quite that, but he neglected to say anything. “Oh!” said Merlin, “Also some things I’ve picked up from people who were trying to kill me.”

Elyan blinked. “I’m going to skip over the people trying to kill you for now because it’s been a bit of a stressful day for me, with the thinking I was going to die and all, so we can come back to that later. When did your magic manifest? Sorry about all the questions I’ve just never met a warlock or a witch before, it's pretty rare.”

“I’ve always had magic. Since I was born.”

“Since you were born? That’s impossible, what do you mean?”

Merlin laughed, “I’ve been told that before.” he suddenly got quiet. “Do you think I could look through your spellbook? To see if there are any new spells I could try?”

Elyan beamed. “Of course! And I can teach you more about magic, so you don’t need to learn from people trying to kill you,” he elbowed Merlin gently in the ribs, _“Befleog,”_ He said and the spellbook flew into Elyan’s hand. He curled up against Merlin and opened the book.

And that was how they stayed for the rest of the night, the sorcerer and the warlock, cuddled together on Elyan’s bed, reading spells, swapping stories, and practicing magic. The wine had pooled on the floor, forgotten.

**Author's Note:**

> Carte Fleoh  
> carte = paper  
> fleoh = fly (like a bird)  
> Befleog = come (by flying)


End file.
